文摘
Single- or few-layered h-BN nanosheets (BNNSs) are analogous to graphene and possess unique properties. However, their technological applications were severely hindered by the low production efficiency of BNNSs. We reported here a study in which BNNSs were efficiently produced by exfoliating bulk h-BN powder in thionyl chloride without using any dispersion agents. The BNNSs yield was as high as 20%, and it could be doubled through the second round of exfoliation of the h-BN precipitate. Microscopic results revealed that the BNNSs generally consisted of 3–20 layers. Pd nanoparticles were successfully immobilized and uniformly distributed on BNNS surfaces through the deposition–precipitation method. The resultant Pd–BNNS catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity and recyclability for the hydrogenation of nitro aromatics, demonstrating that BNNSs served as a promising platform to fabricate heterogeneous catalysts.